Boxing conditioning - doing it right?

I'm just gonna lay my cards on the table: I'm new here. Not just to Bullshido, not just to boxing, but to martial arts. My parents were the sheltering type; while I've always wanted to participate in martial arts, it was never an option until I graduated high school. I started boxing but three months ago. If what I'm about to ask sounds foolish, bear with me!

I want to know, essentially, if what I'm doing for daily training is effective. I'm registered with USA Boxing as an amateur boxer - I want to compete - and I feel that, as a new boxer at such a late age (18), I have quite a bit of catching up to do! Please, if you have any advice for me, let me know! I am in dire need of an edge over my more experienced competition.

The workouts amount to three hours and one-and-a-half hours, respectively. I wish I could spend more time at the gym, but there's no boxing gyms around my college - only when I go home to New Orleans can I have access to full gym equipment. I'm always looking for more things to add to my workouts, so if you have anything to add, I'd be happy to hear it! Likewise, if you notice anything to be redundant or counterproductive, please point it out.

Quick question,becuae you don't mention it. Are you currently training at a boxing gym?? or just a gym with a heavy bag and a double ended??. Or are you working on your own and trying to maintain some type of boxing fitness??

I'm just gonna lay my cards on the table: I'm new here. Not just to Bullshido, not just to boxing, but to martial arts. [...] I started boxing but three months ago. If what I'm about to ask sounds foolish, bear with me!

Foolish... uh, no. Basically it sounds like where I did things wrong, you're doing them right. You're in a good martial art, and it sounds like you have hella work ethic. Well done sir.

I want to know, essentially, if what I'm doing for daily training is effective. I'm registered with USA Boxing as an amateur boxer - I want to compete - and I feel that, as a new boxer at such a late age (18), I have quite a bit of catching up to do! Please, if you have any advice for me, let me know! I am in dire need of an edge over my more experienced competition.

First off, at 18, you're not that far behind. You can fight Golden Gloves for quite a few years to come. Yes, you missed Silver Gloves, and some people will have 7 or 8 years of experience on you. That happens. The real question is, "what is your goal?" If its to learn to box, compete, and have fun... then don't worry about it. If you have a real drive to turn pro, you're still not too old, there are people who started at 18 and older who have done it.

As far as your workout goes, its pretty killer.

Do you have a trainer at your gym, because I see no padwork? Also, no sparring?
My only real concern is five rounds of bareknuckle heavy bag... Your hands are your most important weapon, and even wearing gloves and wraps at some point you will probably injure them. Doing this sort of training four days a week invites that IMHO.

Also, if you have access to weights and can get proper training I might suggest working in some Olympic lifts.

Also, are you working out every day? If so, I would consider giving yourself some downtime. First off, injury prevention, give yourself time to heal. Secondly, learning to box is a marathon, not a sprint. You're only three months in, make sure you don't burn yourself out.

First of all, thank you for your kind words! I'm glad to see I'm not doing anything terribly wrong.

Originally Posted by KiwiPhil889

Quick question, becuase you don't mention it. Are you currently training at a boxing gym?? or just a gym with a heavy bag and a double ended??. Or are you working on your own and trying to maintain some type of boxing fitness??

I am training at a boxing gym. A hell of a time I had finding one in New Orleans, too! Boxing is in a sad state of affairs when one the only places one can find it is in fitness classes (pshaw!) and MMA gyms (which, though I admire MMA, is not the sport I fell in love with). I do trust my trainers and the veteran fighters give me pointers and work with me, too.

Originally Posted by JohnKenner

Foolish... uh, no. Basically it sounds like where I did things wrong, you're doing them right. You're in a good martial art, and it sounds like you have hella work ethic. Well done sir.

First off, at 18, you're not that far behind. You can fight Golden Gloves for quite a few years to come. Yes, you missed Silver Gloves, and some people will have 7 or 8 years of experience on you. That happens. The real question is, "what is your goal?" If its to learn to box, compete, and have fun... then don't worry about it. If you have a real drive to turn pro, you're still not too old, there are people who started at 18 and older who have done it.

Thank you! I know I'm probably worrying too much, but I'm the kind of person who, once he gets into something, devotes a ton of time to it. I work out three to four hours every gym day and do an hour to an hour and a half roadwork a few hours after it, and since I can't see the training schedules of my prospective opponents, I assume they're doing the same.

My goal is to be the best I can be. Cheesy, I know, but that's how I am, I guess. I want to compete at the highest level I can. When I came into the gym, I didn't know if I'd ever be able to compete at an amateur level, but I decided that I would try as hard as I could and see where it brought me. Three months later, I'm registered with USA Boxing and have one official victory on my book - a victory against a taller (by three inches), heavier (by ten pounds), more experienced (by several months) fighter. My goal is to give 100% of myself in training. Where it brings me depends on how far that 100% can take me in the next couple of years.

Originally Posted by JohnKenner

Do you have a trainer at your gym, because I see no padwork? Also, no sparring?

My only real concern is five rounds of bareknuckle heavy bag... Your hands are your most important weapon, and even wearing gloves and wraps at some point you will probably injure them. Doing this sort of training four days a week invites that IMHO.

We do, and I try to get personal training when I can, but I'm an unemployed college student, so my financial position is somewhat precarious. It usually comes down to one hour of training a week - everything else is self-directed. As for sparring, I spar several times a week (I'd like it to be several times a day, but unfortunately, there are few boxers in my gym at my weight. I'm 5'6", 130lbs!). The "youth" of my gym (15-19) meet every Saturday at noon to spar. My trainer usually keeps me in the ring for up to seven rounds (my record), rotating my opponents in and out. Other days, I spar with friends. Most of them come from MMA backgrounds, so their boxing chops aren't ideal (once again, no disrespect to MMA - I'm just saying that spending all your time on boxing will naturally give you better boxing chops than spending some on boxing, some on BJJ, etc.), but we do dedicated boxing sparring and "freestyle" sparring (in which they use the full range of their abilities while I still only use my boxing in the stand-up phase). I like to believe that such "freestyle" sparring gives me a better idea of what works in "street" situations. I also get these same friends to help me with basic drills, like countering jabs and ducking hooks. Sorry I didn't mention either the sparring or training - I didn't categorize it under conditioning!

As for the bare-knuckle, I definitely don't do it like I do my gloved bag work. I treat it as a cool-down. My research tells me that striking bare-knuckle builds callouses and bigger knuckles (though I get mixed reports about negative side-effects), so in addition to the knuckle push-ups, I try to do a little ungloved work. I don't hit hard - maybe 60-80% of full power - and focus on technique and strong wrist alignment, as to preserve my hands and train them to land in positions where they won't hurt themselves. Does that sound like a bad idea (no sarcasm - I thought it seemed reasonable, but I'm not a learned source)? If so, I can bring it down in frequency or, though I'd rather not, eliminate it altogether.

Originally Posted by JohnKenner

Also, if you have access to weights and can get proper training I might suggest working in some Olympic lifts.

My gym has lots of weights - the training aspect has been the decisive factor in me choosing not to use them. Common sense dictates that lifting incorrectly would do more harm than good. Some other trainers in my gym know how to use them (mostly the ones whose forte is fitness rather than technique), but mine doesn't, and he hasn't suggested that I learn. I suppose I could ask around, but I hate to bother other people's trainers. After all, they get paid hourly for their expertise, and I feel as though it wouldn't be right to lend me their knowledge free of charge.

Originally Posted by JohnKenner

Also, are you working out every day? If so, I would consider giving yourself some downtime. First off, injury prevention, give yourself time to heal. Secondly, learning to box is a marathon, not a sprint. You're only three months in, make sure you don't burn yourself out.

I try to do roadwork every day, at least, but life being what it is, things happen. I suddenly remember an assignment due, an old friend visits, I have to go run an errand - and suddenly it's 2am and I have no time to run. I usually end up with a few days off. Certainly if I feel something wrong, I only do workouts that won't aggravate the injury, and I see a doctor if it persists.

Have you asked your coach for more input? Often, conditioning needs will depend on the individual fighter. Which are your strengths and weaknesses today, which weight class do you aim at etc.

I don't know anything about you, but just from my own experience, you might want to add the following if you have the time, if anything:

1. Long distance runs (maybe 10 km/6 miles once a week or so)
2. Squats (great for functional strength if you're not afraid of gaining weight)
3. Power clean plus push press (a great overall power exercise)
4. Dragon flags and landmine twists (the best and hardest core exercises I know)

Don't ever forget diet. You can't out run bad diet. Or even out box in this case. It doesn't matter what work you do you won't get anywhere with bad choices. And more whole foods not supps. Supps do gave there place but you need a good base.